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29 per cent of London businesses are prepared for the Olympics

A third of British businesses have invested up to £10,000 in an IT infrastructure to guarantee employee productivity during the Olympic Games, Fresh Business Thinking reports.

Those with jobs in London are likely to be affected during the 17-day sporting event, which commentators predict will have a vast impact on the Capital’s public transport network, increasing journey times. Thus remote and flexible working options will ensure that work can continue seamlessly.

Not only that, investing in such technologies and offering remote working could be something that will attract new talent plus retain existing staff, as working from home is something that increasing numbers of people look for in an organisation.

In a survey by printer solutions provider Lexmark, it was discovered that 29 per cent of businesses have put provisions in place to allow their staff to work from home or at different hours, to minimise any adverse impacts.

However, many other businesses have not introduced any flexible working plans, nor invested in the necessary IT infrastructure. This could cause many problems, not just in terms of the physical practicalities of getting to the office, but also in terms of unauthorised absenteeism.

Speaking to The Chartered Institute for IT, Gary Bourland, Lexmark UK and Ireland’s country general manager, said: “It is quite remarkable that with less than nine months to go until the Olympics, so many organisations have still not finalised a flexible working programme and the required IT infrastructure to support this.

“With the work-life balance constantly under threat, businesses need to reconsider their flexible working policies especially during this peak time and ensure they have adequate technology in place for their employees to be most productive.”